The Brainy Business | Understanding the Psychology of Why People Buy | Behavioral Economics

In this episode of The Brainy Business podcast, you'll gain valuable insights from Lucie Buisson, the Chief Product Officer at Contentsquare. Lucie's expertise lies in optimizing user experience on websites and mobile apps, and she shares her research and experience to provide practical tips for product managers. By understanding user behavior and identifying their real needs and problems through careful observation and analysis, businesses can create a more effective and engaging user experience.  Lucie also emphasizes the importance of data-driven decision making, testing assumptions, and balancing quick wins with long-term projects. Additionally, she discusses the challenges of scaling a company and offers valuable insights on maintaining clear communication and team cohesion during periods of growth and change. Whether you're a product manager looking to improve user experience or interested in the dynamics of scaling a company, this episode provides valuable knowledge and actionable strategies. In this episode: Uncover actionable insights from user data analysis to drive strategic decision-making and optimize user experience. Strike a balance between quick wins and long-term projects to continually improve product performance and customer satisfaction. Gain a deeper understanding of user behavior through data analysis, going beyond customer feedback alone to make informed product decisions. Navigate the challenges and considerations of scaling a tech company, unlocking opportunities for growth and success. Recognize the impact of time discounting on user behavior and explore strategies to effectively engage and retain customers. Show Notes: 00:00:00 - Introduction, In this episode, host Melina Palmer introduces Lucie Buisson, the Chief Product Officer at Content Square. She discusses Lucie's role in the company's growth and the mission of Contentsquare to make the digital world more human. 00:02:07 - Scaling a Company, Lucie shares her insights on scaling a company, emphasizing the importance of adaptability while staying true to the company's vision and goals. She also highlights the challenges of transitioning from a small team to a larger organization. 00:06:27 - Understanding Behavior, Content Square's technology collects anonymous user interactions to understand customer behavior and preferences. Lucie emphasizes the importance of focusing on customer intent and providing personalized online experiences that mimic the positive aspects of in-store shopping. 00:08:31 - Challenges of Scaling, Lucie discusses the challenges of scaling a company, including the need to define roles and maintain a shared vision as the organization grows. She also highlights the importance of explicit communication in a larger team. 00:11:34 - Scientific Approach to Customer Understanding, Lucie emphasizes the scientific approach to understanding customers and the importance of data-driven decision-making. She discusses the role of data analysis in product management and the need for empirical evidence rather than opinions. 00:18:06 - The Power of Contentsquare, Contentsquare allows users to gain insights and identify website performance issues without knowing exactly what they're looking for. Unlike tagging plans, Contentsquare collects every interaction on a website, providing a more exploratory approach to understanding customer behavior. 00:19:46 - Prioritizing the Most Important Problems, Contentsquare's reports provide valuable information without users having to choose what to analyze in advance. By presenting click rates on every element of a webpage, users can identify areas of improvement without bias. Solving the most pressing problems yields the greatest impact. 00:24:47 - Finding Simple Fixes with Significant Results, Customer assumptions about what needs to be fixed often lead to massive and time-consuming projects. However, Contentsquare can reveal simple fixes like optimizing a landing page's hero image or call-to-action placement, resulting in substantial improvements and revenue opportunities. 00:27:31 - Balancing Voice of Customer Feedback, While Voice of Customer (VOC) tools provide valuable feedback, it often comes from extreme ends of the satisfaction spectrum. Contentsquare helps differentiate between isolated incidents and symptomatic behavior by tying VOC feedback to session replays. This allows users to prioritize actions based on quantifiable impact. 00:30:42 - The Iterative Cycle of Innovation, Contentsquare serves as the middle piece in a cycle of innovation. By understanding why customers struggle and making changes to address those issues, users can then use experimentation tools like A/B testing to analyze the impact of their modifications. 00:34:38 - Understanding Future Behavior, People often answer questions about their future behavior based on what they hope to be, not necessarily what they will actually do. Our predictions about our future selves are often different from our current behaviors, and this should be taken into account when designing products and experiences. 00:35:36 - Customer Feedback and Implementation, When gathering customer feedback, it's important to ask the right questions. Customers may say they want a new feature, but that doesn't necessarily mean they will use it. Implementing unnecessary features can overcomplicate the user experience and deter usage. 00:37:47 - Testing and Understanding Behavior, Testing and understanding user behavior is crucial for optimizing experiences. A case study from Netflix shows that what people say they want may not align with their actual behavior. It's important to go beyond customer requests and truly understand their needs and motivations. 00:40:36 - Balancing Customer Requests and Solutions, While it's important to listen to customer feedback, it's equally important to go beyond their requests and find innovative solutions to their problems. Product managers should balance quick wins with long-term projects and use their expertise to identify the best solutions. 00:43:37 - Optimizing Website Experience, To optimize website experiences, start by listening to customers and identifying small signals of behavior. Quantify the impact of these behaviors and find a balance between quick wins and long-term improvements. Understanding the customer while also leveraging product expertise is key to success. 00:46:09 -  Conclusion, Melina's top insights from the conversation. What stuck with you while listening to the episode? What are you going to try? Come share it with Melina on social media -- you'll find her as @thebrainybiz everywhere and as Melina Palmer on LinkedIn. Thanks for listening. Don’t forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.  I hope you love everything recommended via The Brainy Business! Everything was independently reviewed and selected by me, Melina Palmer. So you know, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. That means if you decide to shop from the links on this page (via Amazon or others), The Brainy Business may collect a share of sales or other compensation. Let’s connect: Melina@TheBrainyBusiness.com The Brainy Business® on Facebook The Brainy Business on Twitter The Brainy Business on Instagram The Brainy Business on LinkedIn Melina on LinkedIn The Brainy Business on Youtube Connect with Lucie: Follow Lucie on LinkedIn Contentsquare on Twitter Contentsquare Website Learn and Support The Brainy Business: Check out and get your copies of Melina’s Books.  Get the Books Mentioned on (or related to) this Episode: The Voltage Effect, by John LIst What Your Employees Need and Can’t Tell You, by Melina Palmer Continuous Discovery Habits, by Teresa Torres Friction, by Roger Dooley What Your Customer Wants and Can’t Tell You, by Melina Palmer Top Recommended Next Episode: The Voltage Effect, with John List (ep 190) Already Heard That One? Try These:  Peloton: A Behavioral Economics Analysis (ep 338) Friction, with Roger Dooley (ep 274) Sludge (ep 179) Choice Architecture and NUDGES (ep 35) Priming (ep 252) The Dunning-Kruger Effect (ep 266) Habits (ep 256) Your Future Self, with Hal Hershfield (ep 329) Time Discounting (ep 328) Optimism Bias (ep 34) Planning Fallacy (ep 346) Other Important Links:  Brainy Bites - Melina’s LinkedIn Newsletter

Discover the fascinating world of behavioral economics in Peloton's marketing success. Learn how Peloton leveraged behavioral economics concepts to create a strong connection with their target audience through effective messaging and branding strategies. Dive into the power of storytelling, community-building, and framing offers. Explore the impact of social proof, herding, and anchoring in Peloton's advertising and business strategies. Enhance your own branding and advertising strategies by applying behavioral economics principles for a Peloton-like success.

Social psychologist Sander van der Linden discusses the role of critical thinking in resisting misinformation. Topics include the illusory truth effect, conjunction fallacy, and inoculation as a strategy to combat misinformation. Gain insights on improving critical thinking skills in today's digital landscape.

In this episode of The Brainy Business podcast, you'll hear a fascinating conversation between host Melina Palmer and guest David McRaney. They delve into the power of perception and how our minds construct reality. David shares his journey of discovering the topic of perception while researching for his book. The discussion explores how our prior experiences and brain processes influence our perception, and how our perception can vary greatly based on individual differences. By understanding the power of perception, you'll gain valuable insights that can enhance your content creation and improve your understanding of how we construct our reality. So, join Melina and David on this thought-provoking episode to expand your knowledge and gain a new perspective on perception. In this episode: Discover the science behind psychology and behavior change. Explore the power of perception and how our minds construct reality, revealing the impact it has on our thoughts, feelings, and actions. Understand the intricacies of belief change and gain practical strategies for effectively changing minds and transforming perspectives. Bonus: Learn expert tips for conducting interviews and securing interesting guests to keep your podcast episodes compelling and informative. Show Notes: 00:00:00 - Introduction, Melina Palmer introduces this episode, featuring a conversation with David McRaney about his book "How Minds Change." She explains that the book explores the psychology of changing minds and discusses why she chose to feature this episode. 00:02:32 - David McRaney's Background, David shares his background, from owning businesses to working in journalism and local television. He talks about starting his blog, You Are Not So Smart, which led to a book deal and a successful podcast. He mentions his interest in biases, fallacies, and critical thinking. 00:05:00 - Overview of How Minds Change, David introduces his book, How Minds Change, which explores the psychology of changing opinions, persuasion, and social change. He discusses his fascination with understanding conspiratorial thinking, resistance to change, and misinformation. 00:07:59 - Advice for Discerning Pursuits, David advises against jumping into trends and suggests pursuing topics that spark a deep curiosity and obsession. He recommends exploring areas that you want to share with others and that drive you to learn more. 00:10:53 - Importance of Following an Obsession, David emphasizes the importance of following an obsession and delving deep into a topic of interest. He shares his personal experience with his blog, You Are Not So Smart, and how his curiosity led to the success of his book and podcast. 00:14:02 - The Importance of Enthusiasm and Passion in Podcasts, David discusses how he can quickly tell if a podcast is just following an algorithm, and emphasizes the importance of infectious enthusiasm and passion in keeping listeners engaged. 00:14:30 - The Need for Genuine Interest in Writing a Book, David's agent stresses the importance of genuine passion and commitment when pitching book ideas, and he agrees that he prefers to embark on a book project without all the answers, allowing the authoritative voice to emerge naturally. 00:15:17 - McRaney's Approach to Writing a Book, As a journalist, David believes that his books are better when his authoritative voice develops throughout the project, taking readers on a journey of discovery and learning alongside him. 00:18:04 - Behavioral Baking and Connecting with the Audience, David shares his experience with introducing a cookie segment on his podcast, where he would bake cookies and share them with his audience. While some loved it, others were not as enthusiastic, leading David to retire the segment after 100 episodes. Melina discusses his concept of "Behavioral Baking" and how it ties into her podcast. 00:28:08 - The Power of Networking, David shares his experience of reaching out to experts at NYU and how it led to valuable connections and collaborations for his podcast and book projects. 00:29:33 - The Fascination with the Dress, David discusses the viral phenomenon of "the dress," an image that appeared on the internet and sparked intense debate over its colors. He explains how this event became a touchstone for understanding disagreements and perception. 00:31:35 - The Importance of Curiosity, David emphasizes the importance of curiosity and asking questions when networking and conducting interviews. He shares advice from a seasoned journalist on always coming back with multiple story ideas to avoid writer's block. 00:32:45 - The Dress Phenomenon Explained, McRaney delves into the psychology and neuroscience behind the dress illusion. He explains how the brain processes overexposed images and how this can lead to different color perceptions. He references the strawberries illusion as another example. 00:43:09 - Going Beyond Right and Wrong, Engaging in arguments over who is right and who is wrong prevents deeper conversations about why people hold different interpretations. This applies to various disagreements and limits our understanding of ourselves and others. 00:45:25 - The Croc Experiment, The croc experiment demonstrated the surf pad concept by showing that people's prior experiences influenced how they perceived the color of crocs and socks under different lighting conditions. This bizarre experiment highlights the complexity of perception and how it varies among individuals. 00:49:36 - Minds Changing on Same-Sex Marriage, The shift in attitudes towards same-sex marriage challenged the notion that people can't change their minds. Understanding what happens in a person's brain when they no longer agree with their past beliefs became the focus of investigation. 00:51:28 - How to Change Minds, Changing minds requires moving away from a confrontational approach and towards compassionate listening. Brute-forcing facts on others doesn't work; instead, engaging in non-judgmental conversations that allow for understanding can lead to effective persuasion. 00:55:43 - Conclusion, Melina's top insights from the conversation. What stuck with you while listening to the episode? What are you going to try? Come share it with Melina on social media -- you'll find her as @thebrainybiz everywhere and as Melina Palmer on LinkedIn. Thanks for listening. Don’t forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.  I hope you love everything recommended via The Brainy Business! Everything was independently reviewed and selected by me, Melina Palmer. So you know, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. That means if you decide to shop from the links on this page (via Amazon or others), The Brainy Business may collect a share of sales or other compensation. Let’s connect: Melina@TheBrainyBusiness.com The Brainy Business® on Facebook The Brainy Business on Twitter The Brainy Business on Instagram The Brainy Business on LinkedIn Melina on LinkedIn The Brainy Business on Youtube Connect with David: DAVID’S WEBSITE DAVID ON TWITTER DAVID ON LINKEDIN Learn and Support The Brainy Business: Check out and get your copies of Melina’s Books.  Get the Books Mentioned on (or related to) this Episode: How Minds Change, by David McRaney You Are Not So Smart, by David McRaney You Are Now Less Dumb, by David McRaney What Your Employees Need and Can’t Tell You, by Melina Palmer Look, by Christian Madsbjerg Top Recommended Next Episode: Confirmation Bias (ep 260) Already Heard That One? Try These:  Robert Cialdini and the (Now!) 7 Principles of Persuasion (ep 312) Influence Is Your Superpower with Yale’s Dr. Zoe Chance (ep 189) A More Beautiful Question with Warren Berger (episode 200) Indistractible, with Nir Eyal (ep 290) Survivorship Bias (ep 110) Focusing Illusion (ep 330) Priming (ep 252) What is Behavioral Baking? (episode 155) Partitioning (ep 252) You Have More Influence Than You Think with Vanessa Bohns (ep 318) The Power of Us with Dr. Dominic Packer (ep 304) Reciprocity (ep 238) Sense Of Smell (ep 298) Sense of Sight (ep 24) Look, with Christian Madsbjerg (ep 325) A More Just Future, with Dolly Chugh (ep 247) Negativity Bias (ep 223) The Dunning Kruger Effect (ep 266) Both/And Thinking, with Wendy Smith (ep 261) Other Important Links:  Brainy Bites - Melina’s LinkedIn Newsletter You Are Not So Smart Website The Dress Strawberry Illusion

Neurodiversity & decision-making: Sigi Hale, a neurodiversity expert, discusses optimizing decision-making through understanding diverse brain types, leveraging ADHD strengths, and aligning roles with brain types for team success. They explore the link between decision-making styles and consumer behavior, emphasizing the importance of embracing neurodiversity in organizations. The podcast reveals insights for market researchers and professionals seeking to improve decision-making abilities.

Tim Ash, author of Unleash Your Primal Brain, shares insights on the evolutionary basis of human behavior and the impact of culture on decision-making. Topics include brain chemistry, tribalism, mirror neurons, teamwork, and the influence of Western and Far Eastern cultures. Discover the importance of social connections in decision-making and how understanding the primal brain can enhance business strategies.

In this episode of The Brainy Business podcast, you'll hear an insightful interview with Vishal George, a behavioral scientist and author of the book Money Mindsets. Vishal's expertise lies in combining behavioral science with human-centered design and systems thinking. He shares examples of his work, including a project in New Zealand aimed at reducing businesses' carbon emissions by using the messenger effect of young people's voices.  The conversation then delves into the importance of understanding our own money stories and how they shape our financial behavior. Vishal emphasizes the need to break the taboo surrounding money conversations and draws inspiration from children's natural curiosity about money. The episode explores the intersection of behavioral science and personal finance, providing practical insights for improving financial well-being. Whether you're looking to make better financial decisions or increase your savings, this episode offers valuable strategies and perspectives. In this episode: Gain insights from behavioral science to make better financial decisions and improve your financial well-being. Break the stigma around money by engaging in open and honest conversations, leading to a healthier relationship with your finances. Cultivate curiosity to enhance your financial decision-making skills, allowing you to make informed choices that align with your financial goals. Design financial products and services that take into account human behavior, ultimately helping you achieve your financial objectives more effectively. Explore the benefits of creating spaces for open conversations about money and financial goals, fostering a supportive community that empowers individuals to take control of their finances. Show Notes: 00:00:00 - Introduction, Melina welcomes Vishal George to The Brainy Business podcast to discuss his book Money Mindsets and his work as a behavioral scientist. 00:03:57 - Using Behavioral Science to Reduce Carbon Footprints, Vishal shares an example of a project where he worked with the government of New Zealand to reduce businesses' carbon emissions. By designing experiments and testing different strategies, they discovered that the messenger effect, particularly the voice of the next generation, was the most effective in motivating businesses to reduce their carbon footprint. 00:09:16 - The Power of Testing High-Risk Ideas, Vishal emphasizes the importance of testing high-risk ideas, even if they may seem unconventional or counterintuitive. By pushing the boundaries and exploring extreme ideas, it becomes easier to find the middle ground and identify innovative solutions. 00:12:10 - The Inspiration Behind Money Mindsets, Vishal explains that his inspiration for writing Money Mindsets was to provide a positive and impactful resource for individuals, particularly young males, to explore emotions, feelings, and empathy through the topic of money. The book aims to help readers understand their own emotions surrounding money and empathize with others in different circumstances. 00:13:54 - The Emotional Aspect of Money, Vishal discusses how money evokes various emotions in people and how understanding these emotions can lead to a healthier relationship with money. He emphasizes the importance of exploring and acknowledging our emotions surrounding money in order to be more financially informed. 00:18:53 - Importance of Breaking Through the Stigma Around Money, Vishal discusses the importance of breaking through the stigma surrounding money and suggests that cultivating curiosity about money can help individuals make more intentional financial decisions. He also mentions the abundance of financial products and services that can lead to overspending. 00:21:38 - Two Types of Curiosity and Building Financial Knowledge, Vishal explains the two types of curiosity: diversity curiosity and epistemic curiosity. He suggests that building curiosity about money and related topics can help individuals make better financial decisions. He recommends clustering reading on topics like saving, spending behaviors, habits, motivation, and behavior change. 00:25:06 - Visible Spending and Invisible Saving, Vishal discusses the shift from visible saving in the past to visible spending in the present. He highlights how technologies and digital currency have made spending behaviors more visible while saving behaviors remain invisible. He emphasizes the need to talk more openly about saving to reduce stigma and foster motivation. 00:27:16 - Overcoming Challenges in Talking About Money, Vishal addresses the challenge of talking about money, particularly when it comes to accomplishments like being debt-free. He acknowledges the fear of bragging or making others feel inadequate, but emphasizes the importance of sharing positive financial experiences to break the cycle of assumption and encourage others to pursue financial goals. 00:36:31 - Designing Products and Services for Human Behavior, The conversation begins by discussing two approaches to designing products and services with consideration for human behavior. The first approach focuses on removing barriers and making it easier for people to achieve their goals. The second approach explores the motivation and factors that drive individuals to set and achieve their goals. 00:37:30 - The Challenge of Saving Money, The conversation shifts to the challenge of saving money and the difficulty in resisting one-time expenses. Vishal shares a story about a person named Kaya who struggles to save money due to various events and temptations. This highlights the need for financial institutions to create products and tools that make saving money as easy as spending money. 00:40:34 - Creating Products that Facilitate Saving, Vishal discusses the importance of balancing spending and saving by creating products that make saving money just as easy as spending money. An example is given of a bank that offers a program called "Save the Change" which automatically rounds up purchases and transfers the spare change to a savings account. This removes friction and encourages saving. 00:42:14 - The Role of Friction in Breaking Habits, The conversation explores the role of friction in breaking habits. While removing friction can make it easier to save money, adding some friction can help evaluate the necessity of certain actions. An example is given of introducing a process for employees to justify business travel, which adds a little bit of friction to assess if the travel is truly necessary. 00:45:49 -  Conclusion, Melina's top insights from the conversation. What stuck with you while listening to the episode? What are you going to try? Come share it with Melina on social media -- you'll find her as @thebrainybiz everywhere and as Melina Palmer on LinkedIn. Thanks for listening. Don’t forget to subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Android. If you like what you heard, please leave a review on iTunes and share what you liked about the show.  I hope you love everything recommended via The Brainy Business! Everything was independently reviewed and selected by me, Melina Palmer. So you know, as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. That means if you decide to shop from the links on this page (via Amazon or others), The Brainy Business may collect a share of sales or other compensation. Let’s connect: Melina@TheBrainyBusiness.com The Brainy Business® on Facebook The Brainy Business on Twitter The Brainy Business on Instagram The Brainy Business on LinkedIn Melina on LinkedIn The Brainy Business on Youtube Connect with Vishal: Follow Vishal on LinkedIn Behavioural by Design website Money Mindsets book page Learn and Support The Brainy Business: Check out and get your copies of Melina’s Books.  Get the Books Mentioned on (or related to) this Episode: Money Mindsets, by Vishal George Get It Done, by Ayelet Fishbach Engaged, by Amy Bucher Designing for Behavior Change, by Steve Wendel Your Future Self, by Hal Hershfield Top Recommended Next Episode: Pain of Paying (ep 240) Already Heard That One? Try These:  Common Errors in Financial Decision Making, with Chuck Howard (ep 213) Mental Accounting (ep 282) Why Every Business Needs To Care About Personal Finance, with Merle van den Akker (ep 283) Sustainable Nudges at Walmart (ep 206) Framing (ep 296) Saving Peru’s Environment One Nudge at a Time (ep 195) Corporate Social Responsibility Programs that Work (ep 211) Engaged, with Amy Bucher (ep 164) Designing for Behavior Change, with Steve Wendel (ep 116) Priming (ep 252) Herding (ep 264) The Power of Metaphor, with Olson Zaltman (ep 181) A More Beautiful Question, with Warren Berger (ep 200) Get It Done, with Ayelet Fishback (ep 332) Time Discounting (ep 328) Your Future Self, with Hal Hershfield (ep 329) Social Proof (ep 87) Other Important Links:  Brainy Bites - Melina’s LinkedIn Newsletter

Guest Ayelet Fishbach, a professor in behavioral science at the University of Chicago, shares insights on goal setting and motivation. Learn about overcoming obstacles, reframing goals, and staying motivated. Discover the importance of intrinsic motivation and focusing on the process. Gain strategies for planning long-term goals and approaching goal setting thoughtfully.

Brian Lowery, a professor at Stanford GSB, discusses how our behavior impacts others and vice versa. He emphasizes the flexibility of personal identity and the cyclical impact of individual behavior on communal dynamics. The episode explores the significance of empathy and perspective shift in successful communication, and delves into the effects of minor social engagements on individual attitudes and office culture. Practical advice is provided for leaders and individuals to enhance their ability to connect with others and navigate the complexities of human relationships.

In this podcast episode, Melina Palmer discusses the focusing illusion and its impact on decision-making. She explains how this cognitive bias leads us to give disproportionate weight to one aspect while neglecting others. Examples of overestimating the impact of winning the lottery and forming negative perceptions based on a single review are shared. By understanding this bias, businesses can make more informed decisions and tailor their messaging effectively. The podcast also explores the power of perspective and the importance of recognizing and questioning biases.